Euro 2024: Asian Travelers Head to Germany

19.06.2024 - 09:23 / skift.com / Taylor Swift / Peden Doma Bhutia

The UEFA Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Germany has sparked a surge in sports tourism, particularly among Asian travelers, according to data from Trip.com Group.

The online travel company reported a 125% increase in bookings to Germany from Asian tourists. Bookings from Chinese tourists gained the most, up 132%.

The top destinations for travel include Frankfurt, Munich and Cologne, with Frankfurt leading in booking volumes.

Several factors contribute to this heightened interest in sports tourism. First, there is a growing middle class in Asia with disposable income to spend on leisure activities, including international travel and sports events, Andy Washington, general manager for Europe at Trip.com Group, told Skift.

The allure of major sporting events, such as the UEFA Euro 2024, offers these consumers a chance to combine their love of sports with cultural exploration, Trip.com noted in a report.

“Our data demonstrates the purchasing power of Asian travelers. These consumers will outspend UK consumers by nearly 340% for the Euro Cup. This is also reflected in the type of hotels Asian consumers have booked, with a higher percentage of bookings for 4 and 5-star hotels,” Washington said.

Event tourism, encompassing concerts, festivals and sporting events, is gaining momentum in 2024. For instance, during the Taylor Swift concert in Singapore, Trip.com Group saw a spike in bookings.

“Most overseas concert travelers came from the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines,” Washington shared.

The flight connectivity between Germany and China has also facilitated this travel surge. The number of direct flights from China to Germany has increased by 70% compared to last year, Washington said.

Also, according to pre-sale data from Trip.com Group, over half of the China-Germany bookings are for connecting flights. The main transit points for flights from China to Germany include Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Paris, Amsterdam and Helsinki.

Flights from China to Paris has increased by 67%, while connectivity to Amsterdam has gone up 23%, and Helsinki is up by 14%, according to Trip.com Group’s data.

In anticipation of the surge in travel during the Euro Cup, Alipay+, the cross-border digital payment solution of Alibaba Group, said that it has so far partnered with more than 400,000 merchants in Europe now accept mobile payments through Alipay+ from 14 international e-wallets and banking apps. “Users of another over 370 banks in Germany and Austria will also be able to pay digitally via a partnership between Alipay+ and Bluecode (Germany and Austria),”

“Europe is already a popular destination for global tourists, and we expect this summer to be one of the busiest as sports fans travel from